Board: Lewiston City Council

Met: Tuesday night

L-A Cooperative group deadline pushed back

Issue: City staffers blamed the Thanksgiving holiday for a lack of applications to join a new Citizens Commission on Lewiston-Auburn Cooperation. Councilors agreed to accept applications for the committee until Dec. 13.

The scoop: Five people from Lewiston will meet with five from Auburn next year to come up with concrete ways to share services and trim municipal budgets on both sides of the river.

Up next: Lewiston residents should call City Clerk Kathy Montejo at 784-2956, extension 214, to apply. Auburn residents should call Auburn Hall at 333-6600.

Roopers gets expansion room

Issue: Roopers Beverage and Redemption owner Stephen Roop wants to rezone 417 Montello St. to allow expansion of his nearby Sabattus street shop and possibly build a Dunkin’ Donuts. Montello Street neighbors challenged Roop’s request, fearing that a new development could bring more traffic to their neighborhood and hurt their property values.

The scoop: Councilors approved the rezoning.

Up next: Roop plans to present more concrete plans for the land to the city early next year. That includes engineering studies looking at exactly how much new traffic the project should bring to Montello Street and Old Greene Road.

Council sets January meeting schedule

Issue: Councilors usually meet on the first and third Tuesday of every month. In January, those Tuesdays follow Monday holidays – New Year’s Day on Jan. 1 and Martin Luther King Day on Jan. 15. City offices are closed both of those days.

The scoop: Councilors instead will meet on the second and fourth Tuesdays – Jan. 9 and 23.

Lewiston PD gets drug bust money

Issue: The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency shares the proceeds of money from drug busts with the agencies involved once the accused have been convicted. In Lewiston’s case, that money is put into a special account to help pay for future drug enforcement actions.

The scoop: Councilors accepted proceeds from two drug arrests earlier this year. Money included $2,432 from the April arrest of Troy Jenkins and about 13 percent of the sale of a 2003 Chevy Suburban from the arrest of Angela Sargent.

Liquor licenses

Issue: Local restaurants and bars must reapply for liquor licenses and amusement permits each year. Liquor licenses let them serve alcohol; amusement permits let them play music, have a DJ or karaoke, or have games on site.

The scoop: Councilors renewed the license and permit for the Ramada Inn at 490 Pleasant St.

Contact government reporter Scott Taylor at [email protected]